Kurt Cobain

Thanks to the wholly unexpected, almost unprecedented overnight success of his band, Nirvana, Kurt Cobain became, not only the reluctant figurehead for the 1990s alternative rock movement, but arguably the biggest rock star of his generation and, finally, its ultimate martyr, when he took his own life. Born Kurt Donald Cobain, in the small town of Aberdeen, Washington, on February 20, 1967, the shy child of a broken home found some answers to his troubles in music, as he shuttled from home to home to occasional homelessness, and struggled to fit in in school before dropping out, two weeks prior to high school graduation. Cobain, who was by now a talented guitarist and immersed in the northwest punk rock scene, eventually moved to Olympia, Washington where he founded Nirvana with old Aberdeen friend Krist Novoselic (bass) and later recruited drummer Chad Channing. This trio began performing regularly and duly signed with Seattle’s emerging Sub Pop Records for the release of debut album, ‘Bleach,’ in 1989 — then “graduated” to major label Geffen before recording their sophomore breakthrough, ‘Nevermind.’ This, of course, catapulted the trio (now featuring Dave Grohl on drums) to universal stardom and more mainstream attention than they had ever dreamed of — or wanted. But Nirvana did what they could to cope, filling the next few years with incessant touring and releases like the odds and sods collection ‘Incesticide’ (1992) and third album ‘In Utero’ (1993), which saw former Germs guitarist Pat Smear brought into the fold. Meanwhile, Cobain had started a combustible, often drug-fueled relationship with Hole singer and guitarist Courtney Love, whom he eventually married (their daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, was born in August of 1992), generating even more unwanted headlines and media attention. By the early months of 1994 Cobain’s life was unravel-ing completely, due to his ever-more-mixed feelings about rock stardom, chronic stomach pains, and several failed attempts at rehab (among other personal demons). And on April 5, the troubled band leader committed suicide in his Seattle home, leaving a void that in some ways marked the symbolic end of the alternative rock movement — though his legacy with Nirvana, obviously lives on.

Recently, the Seattle Police revealed a note found in Kurt Cobain's wallet at the scene of his death. The sarcastic take on wedding vows raised many questions, including speculation over who actually penned the over 20-year-old note. Now, it's been confirmed by Courtney Love herself that s…

As reported, a note found in Kurt Cobain's wallet at the Nirvana frontman's death scene surfaced last week, and there was question as to who wrote the letter. Now, it's been confirmed that Courtney Love did in fact pen the sarcastic missive.

There have been plenty of rumors, conspiracy theories and accusations over the years, but so far there has been no confirmed ties that Courtney Love had anything to do with Kurt Cobain's death. That hasn't stopped Love's own father, Hank Harrison, from suggesting that his daughter was…

The investigation into Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's death has been criticized by many for 20 years. All types of voices have screamed incompetence at police, while others shout conspiracy, believing that Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, had a hand in Kurt's death. Those themes have been turned into t…

Tomorrow (April 5, 2014), will be the 20th anniversary of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's death. The music of Nirvana has remained timeless over the past two decades, influencing an entire new generation of musicians. In this celebration of Cobain's life, we asked some of rock and metal&apo…